Electric Fields

The expression for the potential energy of an electric

dipole in an external electric field is simplest if we
choose the potential energy to be zero when the angle
 in Fig. 22-19 is 90°.We then can find the potential
energy U of the dipole at any other value of  with Eq.
8-1 (U =-W) by calculating the work W done by the
field on the dipole when the dipole is rotated to that
value of  from 90°.With the aid of Eq. 10-53 (W =
d) and Eq. 22-35, we find that the potential energy
U at any angle  is
Water Molecule (Dipole (H2O)